The invention relates generally to multi-line fishing rigs and, in particular, is directed to an attachment for slip connecting a leader to a fishing line.
It is well known to troll for fish with the use of a downrigger for lowering the lure or bait to the depth at which the fish are located. A downrigger normally comprises a motorized or hand cranked reel for dispensing a relatively strong downrigger line such as a stranded metal wire. A relatively heavy downrigger weight is attached to the end of the wire and the fishing line is releasably secured to the downrigger weight or to the downrigger line disposed above the downrigger weight. The downrigger weight is then lowered over the side of the trolling boat to the desired depth. The lure and a length of the fishing line trails behind the downrigger weight and line at the desired depth. When a fish strikes the lure, the fishing line is released from the downrigger and the fish is played with a rod and reel in the normal fashion.
Quite frequently, it is desirable to troll with more than one lure on a single fishing line, the lures extending from leaders disposed at various depths on the fishing line. Various arrangements are found in the prior art for achieving this end. The simplest method of providing multiple lures involves tying various leaders to the fishing line at different depths. In another arrangement found in the prior art, each leader is tied to an apertured ring and the apertured ring is threaded on the fishing line. A knot in the fishing line then fixes the position of the apertured ring and the leader with respect to the fishing line. The principal problems with both of these prior art multi-line fishing rigs are inconvenience and improper action of the downrigger release when a fish strikes one of the multiple leaders tied or otherwise secured to the fishing line above the downrigger release mechanism.
Tied multiple line fishing rigs are often difficult and time consuming to prepare and are always an inconvenience. Since it is often desirable to switch back and forth from single line to multiple line fishing rigs according to fishing conditions, setting up multi-line fishing rigs can rapidly become an onerous task. With tied multi-line rigs, the leaders cannot actually be disposed at substantially different depths along the fishing line, since the fishing line can not be reeled in past the first leader and long distances between leaders materially hamper the ability to play and reel in the fish. On the other hand, closely spaced multiple leaders are much easier to tangle. Also, strikes on leaders disposed above the downrigger release generally do not properly actuate the downrigger release. This is because downrigger releases are sensitive to and release in response to changes in tension in the portion of the fishing line extending behind the downrigger release. A strike on a lure disposed above the downrigger release of course does not effect the tension on the line behind the downrigger release but rather increases the tension in the line extending between the downrigger release and the rod and reel. Since the downrigger release is relatively insensitive to this increase in tension, it often does not release when a strike occurs on one of the multiple leaders.
In the case of multiple leaders tied to apertured rings threaded on the fishing line, the inconvenience factor is also high since again, each multiple line fishing rig is a permanent set up wherein one or more apertured rings must be threaded on the fishing line to remain there until the line is cut and retied. Although relative movement between the apertured rings and the fishing line is possible during reeling in and playing of the fish, the problem of improper action of the downrigger line release is again presented.